The air didn't move.
It locked.
No wind.
No sound.
No escape.
Gabriel stepped out from the shattered remains of stone and dust, his body steady despite the impact he had just taken.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
Across from him—
Cain stood still.
Watching.
Evaluating.
"…You adapted faster than expected," Cain said calmly.
Gabriel rolled his shoulder once.
"…Your attack pattern is efficient," he replied.
A pause.
"…But predictable."
For the first time—Cain smiled.
"Good."
Cain moved first.
No warning.
No build-up.
He simply—disappeared.
Gabriel's eyes sharpened.
Not tracking movement—predicting it.
The air behind him shifted—he turned—blocked.
A sharp, clean strike collided with his forearm.
No explosion.
No wasted force.
Just—pure impact.
The ground beneath Gabriel cracked in a perfect circle.
"…Refined," Gabriel muttered.
Cain didn't stop.
A second strike followed immediately—then a third—then a fourth—each one faster. Sharper. Perfectly chained.
Gabriel didn't counter.
He endured.
Calculated.
Absorbed.
Pain surged through him—amplified instantly by the curse.
But instead of breaking him—
It fed him.
"…Conversion efficiency rising," he said quietly.
From the distance—Alex leaned against a broken pillar, arms folded, eyes gleaming with interest.
"Now this is what I wanted to see…"
Not interference.
Not yet.
Because this—
Was growth.
And growth—required pressure.
Cain stepped back suddenly.
Not retreating—resetting.
"…You're not attacking," he said.
Gabriel lowered his arm slowly.
"…I don't need to."
Silence.
Then—Cain's aura deepened.
Not expanding—condensing.
The pressure increased instantly.
The ground sank slightly under his feet.
"…Then I'll force you to," Cain said.
And then—he vanished again.
This time—faster.
Much faster.
Gabriel reacted—but not in time.
The strike landed directly in his chest.
Impact—heavy.
Clean.
Devastating.
His body was launched backward—again—but this time—he didn't crash.
He stopped himself mid-air.
Forced it.
Energy surged violently around him—stabilizing him.
"…New threshold reached," he murmured.
Then—he stepped forward.
For the first time—he moved first.
No hesitation.
No testing.
Just—execution.
His body blurred forward—
Not as refined as Cain—
But faster than before.
A direct strike—aimed at Cain's core.
Cain raised his arm—blocked.
But—the moment their energies collided—something changed.
Cain's expression shifted slightly.
"…What—"
Gabriel's energy—wasn't normal.
It didn't just collide—
It invaded.
It pressed inward—like pressure trying to occupy space that wasn't his.
Cain stepped back—not forced—but cautious.
"…Interesting," he said.
Gabriel didn't stop.
He followed immediately.
Another strike—then another—less refined—but heavier.
More dangerous.
Each impact—carried accumulated energy.
Pain.
Force.
Pressure.
Everything he had absorbed—returned.
Cain blocked again—but this time—he felt it.
Not just force—but weight.
"…You're converting impact into output," Cain said.
Gabriel didn't deny it.
"…Yes."
Silence.
Then—Cain smiled again.
But this time—it wasn't calm.
It was excited.
"Good."
Cain's aura changed.
Not larger.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
The space around him began to distort—not violently—but precisely.
"…Then I won't hold back."
The moment he said that—everything shifted.
He moved—and this time—even Gabriel couldn't follow it.
A strike—clean.
Direct.
Unavoidable.
It landed.
Gabriel's body shook violently—but he didn't fall.
Didn't move.
He endured it.
Took it.
Converted it.
His eyes—glowed faintly.
"…Output increasing," he said.
Then—he struck back.
This time—neither of them held back.
Force met force.
Control met adaptation.
The ground shattered outward.
Cracks spread across the entire structure.
The air screamed.
For a moment—everything froze.
Then—explosion.
Both of them were pushed back.
Equal distance.
Equal force.
Cain stood still.
Looking at Gabriel—not as prey, but as something else.
"…You've reached D-rank Peak output," he said.
Gabriel didn't respond.
"…Temporarily," he added.
Alex laughed from the distance.
"Temporary or not… that's enough."
Cain glanced at him briefly—then back at Gabriel.
"…No," he said.
"It's not."
The pressure in the air changed again.
Heavier.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
Cain stepped forward slowly.
"This ends now."
Gabriel raised his hand.
Energy gathered—denser than before.
More stable.
More dangerous.
"…Agreed."
And in that moment—both of them moved.
At the same time.
The real battle—had finally begun.
Author's Thoughts:
Your author is officially fighting for his life 😭💀
Gabriel = evolving mid-fight
Cain = built different
Alex = enjoying VIP front seat
And you… STILL no power stones???
At this rate I'll fail exams and become a full-time villain 😈
Next chapter: WINNER DECIDED.
Support me before I disappear like your motivation during exams 💀